The International Association for Promoting Geoethics (IAPG) is a multidisciplinary, scientific platform for widening the debate on problems of Ethics applied to Geosciences.
The IAPG is affiliated to the IUGS - International Union of Geological Sciences, AGI - American Geosciences Institute, GSA - Geological Society of America, GSL - Geological Society of London, GIRAF - Geoscience Information in Africa Network, ICPHS - International Council for Philosophy and Human Sciences

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Geoethics and Art:an artistic exhibition in Oklahoma City

We are glad to announce an artistic exhibition by our IAPG member, Prof. Ying Kit Chan, University of Louisville (USA). If you can attend, don't miss this event![Artspace] at Untitled presents “GeoEthics: Work by Ying Kit Chan”Exhibition: May 26 to July 16, 2016Reception: Thursday, May 26 at 5 pmLocation: 1 NE 3rd St, Oklahoma City 73104Environmental ethics - a philosophical study of the moral relationship between human beings and nature and the value that society extends to the environment - is a reoccurring theme in Ying Kit Chan's more than three decades of art making. Utilizing a wide range of media, the artist employs this philosophy alongside Taoist and Buddhist ideologies to examine our relationship with nature, from the mental impact of contemplation to the actions resulting in environmental degradation. The works selected for "GeoEthics" highlight the artist's conceptual development and explore environmental ethics through three themes: oil spills, industrial landscapes, and philosophical thought.Ying Kit Chan has presented his art work in 200 exhibitions in the United States as well as in Australia, Canada, Ecuador, Germany, Korea, Japan, England, Hong Kong, Poland, Taiwan, and Portugal. Chan has received public awards including two Kentucky Arts Council Al Smith Visual Arts Fellowships (1994 and 2002), a National Endowment for the Arts / Southern Arts Federation Visual Arts Fellowship (1992) and an Urban Council Fine Arts Award at the Hong Kong Contemporary Art Biennial in 1977. He is presently Professor of Art at the University of Louisville.Facebook page: Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/666651163484322Prof. Ying Kit Chan's website: http://louisville.edu/art/faculty/ying-kit-chan-m.f.a

Monday, May 23, 2016

A new IAPG paper on geoethicsin a special volume of the Geological Society of America

We are glad to announce a new IAPG article in which you find a discussion on some fundamental values of geoethics:Peppoloni S. and Di Capua G. (2016). Geoethics: Ethical, social, and cultural values in geosciences research, practice, and education. pp. 17-21. DOI: 10.1130/2016.2520(03).In: Wessel G. & Greenberg, J. (Eds.). Geoscience for the Public Good and Global Development: Toward a Sustainable FutureGeological Society of America, Special Paper 520.Download the paper:http://specialpapers.gsapubs.org/content/520/17.abstractAbstract:All geoscience practices have evident repercussions on society. Geoscientists have knowledge and skills to investigate, manage, and intervene on the geosphere, defined as the component of the Earth system constituted by the land surface, the solid Earth, the hydrosphere, the cryosphere, and the atmosphere. This implies ethical obligations. The adoption of ethical principles is essential if geoscientists want to best serve the public good. Ethical responsibility by all geoscientists requires a more active role while interacting with society. Geoethics, which investigate the ethical, social, and cultural implications of geoscience research, practice, and education, represents a new way of thinking about and practicing earth sciences, focusing on issues related to the relationship of the geoscientist with the self, colleagues, and society in the broadest sense. In this paper, we define some of the main values relevant to geoethics.Other papers in: Wessel G. & Greenberg, J. (Eds.). Geoscience for the Public Good and Global Development: Toward a Sustainable Future: http://specialpapers.gsapubs.org/content/current

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

A report on the session on Geoethics at the EGU 2016organized by the IAPG – International Association for Promoting Geoethics

IAPG has organized its fourth session on geoethics at the European Geosciences Union (EGU) – General Assembly 2016 in Vienna (on 18 April 2016), with the support of the GSL – Geological Society of London. The session (EOS5), entitled “Geoethics: theoretical and practical aspects from research integrity to relationships between geosciences and society”, was convened by Silvia Peppoloni (IAPG Secretary General), Nic Bilham (GSL and IAPG Corresponding Citizen Scientist), Eduardo Marone (IAPG-Brazil Coordinator) and Marie Charriere (IAPG-Young Scientists Club Chair), and got a large participation of geoscientists, who gave 12 oral and 30 poster presentations. Authors came from 18 different countries in 5 continents (Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, USA). The session was divided in two parts: “Geoethics: communication and application” and “Geoethics: institutional paradigms and conceptual challenges”. Interesting works and ideas were presented on many issues of Geoethics: theoretical and philosophical aspects, geoethics in natural hazards studies, geo-engineering paradigms, global initiatives on sustainability and geo-risks reduction, activities on ethics by geoscience organizations and research infrastructures, etc.).Among the authors, Margaret Leinen (President of the AGU – American Geophysical Union), Stefano Tinti (President of the IAPG), Pat Leahy (Executive Director of the AGI – American Geosciences Institute), Werner Leo Kutsch (Director General of ICOS – Integrated Carbon Observation System), Nic Bilham (Director of Policy & Communications at the Geological Society of London), Joel Gill (Founder and Director of GfGD – Geology for Global Development), Vitor Correia (President of the EFG – European Federation of Geologists).IAPG network contributed to the session with presentations by members of the Executive Board (Stefano Tinti, Silvia Peppoloni and Giuseppe Di Capua) and the Young Scientists Club (Marie Charriere and Francesco De Pascale), Corresponding Citizen Scientists (Martin Bohle and Nic Bilham), and coordinators of the following sections: Italy (Silvia Peppoloni), Iraq (Nawrass Ameen), Greece (Gerassimos Papadopoulos), Argentina (Elizabeth Rovere and Roberto Violante), Brazil (Eduardo Marone).Among the authors there were the representatives of two great European Research Infrastructures (EPOS - European Plate Observing System and EMSO - European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and water column Observatory) and the responsible of an important European Project in Horizon2020 (ENVRI-Plus - Environmental Research Infrastructures).Among the public, the past and current Executive Directors of the GSL – Geological Society of London (Edmund Nickless and Sarah Fray).A large audience has crowded the meeting room for the entire duration of the session.Slides of the orals and posters in pdf version have been uploaded on the IAPG website for free download at: http://www.geoethics.org/egu2016.htmlBelow, some selected pictures from the IAPG session EOS5 on geoethics.A complete photo gallery of the session EOS5 on geoethics is available at:https://www.flickr.com/photos/125283529@N05/albums/72157667550429246

Convenership
of the session EOS5 on geoethics organized by the IAPG at the EGU 2016: from
the left, Nic Bilham (Director of Policy & Communications at the Geological
Society of London and IAPG Corresponding Citizen Scientist), Marie Charriere
(IAPG-Young Scientists Club Chair), Silvia Peppoloni (IAPG Secretary General),
Eduardo Marone (Coordinator of IAPG-Brazil).

Silvia
Peppoloni and Nic Bilham, while starting the session EOS5 on geoethics.

Silvia
Peppoloni (IAPG Secretary General), organizer and convener of the session EOS5
on geoethics at the EGU 2016.

A
large audience in the room 2.83 attended the session EOS5 on geoethics at the
EGU 2016.

Pat
Leahy, AGI’s Executive Director, during his speech at the session EOS5 on
geoethics.

Eduardo
Marone, coordinator of IAPG-Brazil, while discussing on ethical dilemmas.

Poster
session on geoethics at the EGU 2016: from the left, Nic Bilham (Director of
Policy & Communications at the Geological Society of London and IAPG
Corresponding Citizen Scientist), Ruth Allington (Chair of the International
Union of Geological Sciences - IUGS - Task Group on Global Geoscience Professionalism),
Silvia Peppoloni (IAPG Secretary General), Vítor Correia (President of the
European Federation of Geologists).

Friday, May 6, 2016

ESC 2016: Session on Citizen Seismology and GeoethicsCall for abstracts: the deadline is fastly approaching!

35th General Assembly of the European Seismological Commission

Trieste (Italy), 4-10 September 2016

DEADLINE IS APPROACHING!

Call for abstracts (deadline: 7 May 2016)

Session 04 "From school and citizen seismology to geoethics"

Conveners: R. Bossu, P. Denton, P. Earle, G. Di CapuaThe IAPG - International Association for Promoting Geoethics (http://www.geoethics.org) supports this session.Session description:Internet and social networks have multiplied the direct interactions between individual seismologists and citizens. Observational seismology has entered schools where they can detect signals from large global earthquakes and do real science with real data. Doing real science is one of the goals of citizen science projects alongside augmenting data collection and crowdsourcing observations on earthquake phenomena. Today there is a convergence between scientific and educational seismology projects. Many institutes and individual scientists are active on Facebook, Twitter and other social networks. Smartphone apps are replacing websites as the main source of rapid earthquake information. Communication has also expanded from rapid information to time evolving hazard, risk and even operational earthquake forecasts. These developments change the way we, as scientists interact with society. They present significant opportunities to transfer the value of scientific research to citizens, in order to avoid or minimize risky interaction as demonstrated by the l’Aquila trial.We invite papers on schools, citizen science or public communications initiatives as well as analysis of their ethical, social and cultural implications.How to submit an abstract: http://meetings.copernicus.org/esc2016/abstract_management/how_to_submit.html